First, a quick introduction. I shot this series of objects keeping in mind the different cultures they are associated with and what country they originated in. These photos are meant to take you 'around the world'. I would like to describe the object in as much detail about it and provide a story about it along with that. Displaying different cultures through photos is something that I think is very important, and is something I enjoy doing.
The Might of the Gurkha
This is a Khukuri dagger, wielded by the mighty Gurkha tribe. This dagger is from the country Nepal in the Indian subcontinent. This was designed by this tribe as tool as well as a weapon. It may look small, but within this heavy weapon lies the entire legacy of the Gurkha tribe and its history along with it. This strange looking blade is unbelievably sharp, believe me, I unfortunately know. That is why I decided to edit it so. It reduced the brightness a little bit to show darkness and danger, and I added 'mezzotint' with short lines to show 'sharpness' and I do really love how it has come out. I bought this dagger during my trip to the Himalayas, in Kathmandu, Nepal where the seller told us a story, or rather a rule about it. He said that the Gurkhas believed that the blade, once pulled out, must not be put back in its sheath without spilling blood. Unfortunately that rule had to be broken during the shoot of this object. Or did it?
Classé
This is a fine glass of 2004 Bordeaux Red Wine, imported from from the southwest region of France. I like photographing and writing about these kind of things as European cultures are one among my favorites. This was slightly hard to photograph as I had to do it with the fear of tipping it over and spilling red wine all over the white wall. I took the photo in a way that both the object and the shadow play a part in the image, because I like the way the shadow looks in both images, and gives it a little bit of balance. I used the crystallize filter because I simply thought it gave the image a unique and interesting touch and made it look 'distorted', similar to how one gets after alcohol, I guess. This definitely reminded me of the first time my parents let me try wine, of course it was only one sip, and of course I hated the taste. But i guess it takes a classy mind to enjoy fine foods, which maybe I don't have yet.
Light & Dark
This is a Diya, a huge part of Indian, more accurately, Hindu culture. Its essentially a candle fueled by oil, but the biggest difference is the way it is painted and decorated. Many families, mainly the women in Indian families, enjoy spending lots of time in painting, decorating and arranging these diyas in an absolutely breathtaking and elegant manner, especially during festivals; In particular, during the 'Indian holiday season', Diwali. I feel that this may be the most unique image among the set because of the way I played with the filters and the lighting. I also feel like applying the color halftone filter to it makes the image look like its 'burning' because of the fire, which I think gives it a nice touch. The only thing I thought about during this shoot was Diwali, and the time my grandmother arranged over 50 of these lights into a beautiful rose. I would have definitely include that picture as well if could.
Enlightenment
This is a wooden carving of Buddha, an enormous part of Tibetan, and of course, Buddhist culture. It was gifted to me by my grandparents who bought it at the Dalai Lama temple in northern India. I think that these two images are the most interesting looking in the set. On the right side image, I used lighting perfectly parallel to the object which I think looks really cool and gives a lot of focus on the object. In the left side image, I used the 'mosaic' filter because I feel like that makes Buddha look like he's 'thinking' or simply away mentally, much like how he actually was. Interesting story about Buddha; before he actually became the Buddha, he was actually a rich king named Siddhartha Gautama who decided that he wanted to find the way to attain enlightenment, after witnessing 4 simple sights: A Saint, Sickness, Old age and Death.
Masquerade
This gorgeously decorated Venetian mask, made and brought from Venice, Italy itself, is possibly my favorite image in the set. I think that the left side image will receive a polar reaction from people: either they will like and appreciate its beauty, or find themselves creeped out by its oddly unsettling 'stare'. I feel that its slight head tilt also adds to its unsettling appeal. As for the left side image, I used the crystallize filter on it, but this time for no real reason, but that it just made the image look unique. The significance of the mask is that, in history, it used to be worn during the carnival in Venice, used to hide their identity, and thereby the carnival could be enjoyed by all social statuses.